Facing Fear

Chapter 1

Akira opened the door to a dark-haired man with hazel eyes and a trimmed beard. He was a head taller than her, but his seductive smile is what made Akira blush.

"Hello, I'm Pachad" the gentleman said.

"Hello. Come inside, please!" she said with her voice slightly quivering.

"Thank you," he replied in a low but gentle tone.


"This is the living room. You would be able to use it anytime you wanted. That is the kitchen right there. I am in the process of rearranging my dishes, but you are welcome to cook anytime if you have your own. There is a small bathroom on the other side of the kitchen, but my daughter, Zakia, uses that and she is six, so I would not recommend you use it. Beyond that is mine and Zakia's rooms. Let me show you the room." She turned to the opposite way of the kitchen. She opened the door on the right. The walls were a neutral tan with no paintings or pictures hung. There was a queen size bed in the middle of the room with a plain white comforter and two white pillows with white pillowcases. A flat screen television was mounted to the corner. A single dresser was the only other furniture in the room. The double doors to the closet were open displaying an empty walk-in with plenty of hanging space and shelves. A door led to a private bathroom and Pachad walked in right past a full-length mirror that was hung between the bedroom and the bathroom. Though he didn't look at himself, Akira was sure that he flexed as he passed without even looking at himself. She tried hard not to roll her eyes.

He seemed to be out of sight for a long period of time. Was he using the bathroom? There was only a toilet, a sink with a medicine cabinet, and a shower with a full tub and an empty bar where the shower curtain goes. The water was not running. What could he possibly be doing? Should she walk in or shouldn't she.

"I have a few extra towels and wash clothes if you need them." She called into the bathroom. "If you need a shower curtain, I'm afraid I don't have an extra, but I can pick one up tomorrow if you would like." Would that make him want to rent the room? Fear started to rise in Akira's chest as she wondered what was going through his mind. He still had not replied.

Pachad walked out of the bathroom just as she took a step toward the door. "Sorry, I had something stuck in my teeth. I'm sure you understand the embarrassment of that." His coy smile eased her fears a bit. She thought for a brief moment of turning him away, but she needed the money.

"You said $450 a month?" Pachad said looking around the bedroom again.

"Yes, and $450 deposit." She hoped he would take it. $900 would be a large dent in the loan she still is working to pay off for her husband's funeral two years ago.

"You have a daughter. She wouldn't be coming into my room would she?" Akira shuttered at the thought.

"No!" she replied a bit too fast and too high of a pitch. Did he hear the desperation in her voice? She hoped not.

Pachad walked out to his car and returned with $5,850 in cash. "I'm not sure I'll be here a full year, but I don't want to leave you in a bind by my leaving early." They walked toward the kitchen table where a rental contract was placed. He signed without even reading through it. "If I finish my work in town earlier, you are to keep the rest. If it takes longer, I will pay for another year up front." He looked around the small house again and checked out the fridge. "You don't mind if I get a few things for the fridge, do you?"

"No, of course not." She was a bit stunned at the entire situation and the large stack of bills still in her hand.

"I'll get you a few recipes also of my favorite dishes. I do eat kosher. You do too, right?" Akira's heart nearly jumped into her throat at the question. She knows that was not on the advertisement, because it had not been that long since she started to switch to a kosher diet.

"I am just starting," She began. "I don't know that much about it yet, but I'm trying what I do know." How could he have known? How could he be more perfect?

"I'll be happy to help. A good diet is important. Especially with a young child." He pointed at her daughter's photo hanging on the living room wall.

"That would be great. Thank you." That information wasn't in the advertisement, right? Now she wondered. Had she put it in there? She would have to look.

"I'll be back to town next week with my things." He smiled a charming smile while looking deep into her eyes long enough to make her squirm. She gave a soft smile in return.

"Sounds great." Her words were flat. What made her worry now? He was everything that she was looking for in a tenant. He paid. He was a professional. He was charming. And he would be gone half the time. What more could she want?

She watched as he walked out the front door and down the driveway to his Audi. She still held the cash in her hand. Had she made a mistake?